The Baltimore Orioles continued to crush long balls Sunday afternoon against the Kansas City Royals, making franchise history in the process.
Left fielder Colton Cowser led off the top of the third inning with a 430-foot home run to right-center. It was the first homer right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo had allowed all season, and it wouldn’t take long for him to give up another.
Third baseman Jordan Westburg stepped up to the plate right after Cowser finished his trot around the bases. Just like Cowser, Westburg sent the second pitch he saw 433 feet to left-center.
Just like that, the Orioles were up 2-0.
Cowser and Westburg now have five home runs on the season, tying them with center fielder Cedric Mullins for second-most on the team. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson leads Baltimore with six.MLB.com’s Sarah Langs noted that the Orioles’ four players with five-plus home runs through the first 21 games of a season are tied for their most in franchise history. They also achieved the feat in 2020.
The Orioles lead the Royals 4-0 midway through the sixth inning, giving them three frames to break that tie and set a new franchise record. Right fielder Anthony Santander and designated hitter Ryan O’ Hearn each have four home runs this season, so a homer from either one of them would put Baltimore over the top.
Cowser and Westburg have been the Orioles’ most efficient hitters this season. The former leads the team with a .380 batting average and 1.218 OPS, while the latter ranks second in both categories at .338 and 1.045.
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